Central Michigan University Police have impounded 82 bicycles and tagged 250 more this month in an effort to crack down on bicycle theft.

CMU Police Department Service Officer Mike Anderson said most of the bikes that are picked up are abandoned or have several things wrong with them. He said there are also bikes that are locked up improperly to trees, or light and meter poles.

Owners of tagged bikes have a week to register or remove their bikes before they are impounded.

“It is a free service that we offer for the owners own protection,” Anderson said.

Anderson anticipates tagging between 40 and 60 more bikes when he visits Kewadin Village, Northwest Apartments and Washington Apartments.

CMU Police began tagging and impounding unregistered, unlocked or inoperable bikes July 13.

Police Chief Stan Dinius said several bikes are being stolen on campus each year and worked with fellow officers to propose the arrangement to stop bike theft.

“Each year we pick up a couple hundred bikes that have been abandoned,” Dinius said. “They stay at the impound for a while and eventually end up being sold at auction.”

CMU Police Officer Mike Sienkiwicz said the push to remove bikes that have been left out for a long time was helped by Associate Director of Residence Life Grant Skomski.

“He’s told me it just looks unsightly sometimes,” Sienkiwicz said. “It looks bad when you’ve got 20 bikes that are all junk outside of a building.”

Dinius said he thinks the drive to get students to register their bikes will be helpful in the long run. Students whose bikes have been stolen will have a better chance at getting them back if they are registered, he said.

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E-mail the author: Josh Berenter